Not Just Global.
Local Artisans, too...

In addition to the hundreds of Global Fair Trade products we carry, The The Grunewald Guild, a local faith and arts community in Plain, Washington, has a gallery within Jubilee.  Paintings, weaving, pottery and other art forms are displayed and are for purchase.

Helping to Meet the Need of Our Local Community

Jubilee supports our local food bank/thrift store. Formed by eight area churches in 1983, the Community Cupboard has grown both in size and services in the past 20 years. Located in space donated by the city, it provides emergency services to local residents in need throughout the year. The Cupboard supplies food staples, meals, emergency shelter, rent & utility assistance and referrals, and is able to do so through the generous donations of food, thrift store goods, volunteer hours and finances. The ministries of Community Cupboard are truly an outpouring of community spirit!

Who We Are and
What We Support

Jubilee was opened in January of 1995 by owners John and Mary Schramm, shortly after moving to Leavenworth, Washington. Leavenworth is a tourist destination with dozens of shops (many with a Bavarian theme), but without a Fair Trade store.  Schramms have had the privilege of traveling to Africa and Central America and to see first hand the needs of people, especially women, in these parts of the developing world.  They decided, as a retirement opportunity, to help market crafts from co-ops run by artisans themselves. The ultimate goal is to assist in alleviating poverty and promoting economic justice.

With help from volunteers from Faith Lutheran Church in Leavenworth, the idea became a reality.  The Rieke family,  which owns the building, graciously donated the space for the store. Many others have volunteered their time along the way.

The Biblical name of Jubilee was chosen as the name for the shop because it speaks to the discrepancy between the rich and the poor and how God sought to equalize the playing field. Jubilee is a biblical word for justice. The word literally means a ram’s horn or trumpet. A loud trumpet blast signaled the beginning of Jubilee Year, a year of economic redistribution. This period of time was observed every 50 years as a step to alleviate the disparity between rich and poor. There are no trumpet blasts that sound when you enter this shop, but its goal is in the tradition of a concern for economic justice.

Purchasing a gift at Jubilee enables you to give in three ways - to the crafts person who created the item, organizations locally and globally that assist low income people and to the person for whom the gift was purchased.

In the past, profits from Jubilee have been distributed to organizations that globally and locally benefit low-income people and work for justice.

Locally: In the past, one-half of the proceeds from Jubilee have supported Upper Valley MEND (Meeting Each Need with Dignity), a local umbrella organization that operates the Community Cupboard (food bank, 2nd hand clothing store, emergency assistance), a local free medical clinic, a home for developmentally disabled adults, and a community land trust called S.H.A.R.E. that provicdes affordable housing.  The local Habitat for Humanity organization has also been the recipient of Jubilee's proceeds.

Globally: Some of the other recipients of the Jubilee profits include: Central Asia Institute, Bread for the World, and Doctors without Borders.